Preface:
The following document is provided to assist commanders, staff officers and
non-commissioned officers in planning for and training for mortuary affairs in your
operations. This information is based on the most current doctrine for mortuary
affairs, but it is only a guideline. There are links inside the document that you
can click on that will provide you with more information about that particular topic or a
sample of that item. These samples are also included in the document if you choose
to download
it.
1. Commanders Responsibility
Commanders at all levels are responsible for ensuring that
assets are available and dedicated to the search, recovery, processing and evacuation of
the remains and personal effects of U.S. soldiers, airmen, seamen and marines as well as
allies, civilians, and enemies. Mortuary affairs (MA) support is provided on an
area basis, and is an essential element of the morale of your troops, the health and
sanitation of the soldiers and the trust and confidence of our nation at home. MA
experts and assets must be included in task force planning and organization from the very
start of an operation. This document outlines the minimum essential staff and
command responsibilities to effectively obtain and utilize the MA assets available to you
as a commander
2.
Concept of Mortuary Affairs Support
Mortuary affairs support begins at the unit level.
Members of the team, platoon, or company recover the remains of their own fatalities and
evacuate those remains to the closest mortuary affairs collection point (MACP), usually
located at the nearest support area. Once the remains are received at the collection
point, they will be processed by mortuary affairs specialists (92M), who will gather
tentative identification information and inventory personal effects. From here,
remains are evacuated as quickly as possible, using air transport when possible or
retrograde convoys, to the corps and theater rear areas where the theater mortuary
evacuation point (TMEP) is located on or near an aerial port of embarkation (APOE) such as
an FLS or airstrip. If required, a small personal effects (PE) handling facility may
be established near the TMEP to process personal effects for shipment back to the main
CONUS PE Depot. Once the remains are received at the POE mortuary they are
positively identified and prepared for whatever final disposition the family (or person
authorized to direct disposition, PADD) has directed.
3. Types of MA Assets
MA Assets range from the units own search and recovery
teams to the theater level Quartermaster MA Company (EAC). The type of asset you
will require will depend on the number of troops being deployed into a theater, the number
of fatalities anticipated and the type of operation being planned. There are three
mortuary affairs companies in the Army. The 54th QM Corps Collection Company, FT
Lee, VA has 5 forward collection platoons of 4 teams each and 1 main collection
platoon. The remaining two units, a second corps collection company and the EAC MA
Company are reserve component units based out of Puerto Rico.
Unit Search and Recovery Teams:
These are teams detailed from the members of a platoon or company responsible for recovery
of remains of their own unit and evacuation of those remains to the nearest MA Collection
Point. These teams should be identified and trained
on their responsibilities before deployments. Mortuary Affairs Specialists (92M)
assigned to the Support Battalions, Senior NCO's who have completed the joint mortuary affairs course and Officers with the
ASI 4V can provide Subject Matter Expertise for training these teams.
Forward MA Collection Point Teams:
These are 7 person teams attached to units from the Corps QM Collection Company (MA).
These specialized teams operate a Collection Point capable of receiving and processing
approximately 20 remains per day, documenting identification media, taking fingerprints,
and inventorying personal effects. They provide support on an area basis and are
usually attached to the support battalion responsible for that area;
typically one team per brigade sized element. There are four teams in a platoon and
platoons are typically attached on the basis of one per division.
MA Main Collection Platoon:
Although not structured to do so, this 31-person platoon can operate a temporary theater
mortuary evacuation point or a temporary interment site if required with adequate
transportation or engineer assets available. This platoon is typically attached to
the COSCOM and located with the CSG Rear. During large-scale operations this platoon
will operate a TMEP only until the EAC Company arrives in theater. They will then
serve as a large collection point for processing remains in the corps area and assisting
in retrograde movement of remains from forward areas to the TMEP.
Theater Mortuary Evacuation Point: This
38 person echelon above corps (EAC) asset provides for evacuation of approximately 200
remains a day from theater with adequate air transportation assets available. It
must be located near an APOE such as an FLS or airstrip, and will work closely with A/DACG
teams. There are two of these teams in the EAC Company.
Theater PE Depot: If required in
theater, this platoon will collocate with the TMEP, otherwise it will locate near the POE
mortuary in CONUS. In theater, this 51
person, EAC asset provides for receipt, packaging and shipping of personal effects
to the persons eligible to receive effects for final disposition. There is one PE
Depot platoon in the EAC Company.
Mortuary Affairs Decontamination Collection Point MADCP: This ad hoc team requires 38 personnel from a unit to
operate and is a combination of MA, Chemical, Medical and MOS immaterial detail
personnel. It is a commanders responsibility to identify and train these
people in advance. The team will have to retrieve and decontaminate NBC contaminated
remains. Up to 12 of these personnel can be mortuary affairs specialists but, the
remainder are chemical, medical or MOS immaterial. Working a 12-hour shift this team
should be able to process approximately 30-48 remains following the procedures in the JTTP 4-06 appendix
D.
4. Requesting MA Assets:
MA assets are FORSCOM assets and must be requested through
command channels directly from FORSCOM for training events or real world support missions.
MA assets should be requested by the highest level of command and then attached from that
command down to subordinate elements as required for the tactical situation. As an
example, for corps level exercises/operations involving multiple divisions, the corps G3 will request the MA Company from FORSCOM, attaching one platoon to each
division and up to two platoons as required by optempo to the COSCOM, for corps area
support. The platoon leader/platoon sergeant of each platoon can remain in each division G4 or DISCOM support operations as a liaison to advise the staff of
capabilities of the teams and to assist in planning and tracking operations. For
operations in which the entire company deploys the Company Commander and 1SG may serve as
liaison and technical advisors in the COSCOM or theater staff; for division level
exercises the division G3 can request a forward collection platoon through Corps
Headquarters to FORSCOM. OCONUS units must request through their command channels and DA
to FORSCOM. Reserve and National Guard Units may also request MA assets through
their command channels and USAREC/State AG as applicable, to FORSCOM.
Using the sample memorandum in
this packet forward the request through your command channels to: "Deputy Chief of
Staff for Operations, HQ FORSCOM, ATTN: AFOP-OCT, 1777 Hardee Ave. SW, Fort
McPherson, GA 30330-1062" or fax a copy to DSN 367-6328 (commercial 404-464-6328)
followed by a mailed hard copy of the request. Telephone coordination with the Support
Operations Officer of the 49th Special Troops Battalion (STB) can be helpful
for planning and determining requirements, but will not result in a formal tasking to
obtain the assets. Once you have made your official request you should contact the 49th
STB Support Operations Officer at DSN 539-3563 or Commercial (804) 765-3563 to work on
specific issues related to the exercise and to confirm that the tasking has, in fact, been
approved. FORSCOM will process routine requests within 2-3 days of receipt and upon
receipt for urgent requests. The 54th does maintain a rapid deployment team to
respond to emergencies and rapid deployments. Teams are available to support
Brigade and higher level exercises. Requests for exercises smaller than Brigade level will
be considered on a case by case basis for training. Routine training requests should be
submitted as early in the planning process as possible, but not later than 60 days out.
Click here for sample request memo (Fig 4-a)
5. JMAO Requirements for Mortuary Affairs Support
Implementation of a Unified Command Joint Mortuary Affairs
Office is a J4 function. The JMAO is responsible for integrating MA support throughout the
theater across the different services and countries as well as for coordinating with
civilian agencies such as the State Department
and Red Cross or Red Crescent. The JMAO, once established, will be the lead technical
advisor for Theater Commander. The MA Company Commander and 1st Sergeant
of the EAC MA Company will provide staff guidance and input to the ARFOR G4 or TAACOM
staff in addition to controlling any elements of the company that have not been detached.
6. G1/S1 Responsibilities for Mortuary Affairs Support.
It is the G1/S1 responsibility to analyze tactical plans and
determine casualty estimates for use by the G4 in determining requirements for MA support
requirements. The G1/S1 is further responsible for generating the attachment orders for
the teams to the subordinate commands as determined by the G3 operations. Subordinate
command G1/S1 will further attach teams as required down to the company level for life support, security and maintenance.
7. G2/S2 Responsibilities for Mortuary Affairs Support
It is the G2/S2 responsibility to analyze terrain and weather
data and advise command of adverse effects on operations, i.e. high water table will
prohibit temporary interment, arid conditions may cause problems with hygiene etc.
Furthermore the G2/S2 will analyze enemy NBC posture so the command can determine whether
the development and resourcing of a MADCP team is
advisable. S2 will also provide all required intel information for search and
recovery missions including situation briefs, maps, grid coordinates, etc.
8. G3/S3 Responsibilities for Mortuary Affairs Support
The G3 of the highest level of command in an exercise requests MA assets and places units and their equipment on the
TPFDL. MA assets should be established in theater prior to or along with the first
anticipated fatalities to minimize effects on morale, and political support for
operations. S3s must incorporate MA teams/platoons into land allocation and
security plans as well as publish location of MACPs in operations
orders. It is critical when establishing an operational area, that no collection
point is established outside of the perimeter. Collection points should be out of
main traffic areas and away from Class I operations, but must be inside of the perimeter
for defense purposes. The G3/S3 Air will also provide for necessary air
transportation assets for evacuation of remains from the TOPNS.
Ensuring that subordinate units identify and train organic MA search and recovery teams is a function of the
Battalion S3.
9. G4 / MMC / MCC / Support Operations Requirements for
Mortuary Affairs Support
The G4 will determine MA requirements, and oversee MA operations
throughout the area of responsibility. The G4 through the MMC will ensure required
assets are pre-stocked for contingency operations. G4 will also allocate
transportation assets through the DTO/MCC. The G4 will track and report MA
operations using reports received through command channels from the Support Operations of
subordinate units. When an entire platoon is supporting a division the platoon
leader and platoon sergeant will located at the G4 or DISCOM as advisors/liaison on MA
operations. For operations involving an entire MA company the Company Commander/1st
Sergeant will provide guidance to the Corps G4 or COSCOM Support Operations staff.
10. S4 Requirements for Mortuary Affairs
Support
Ensuring MA teams are identified and resourced at the unit level
is an S4 function. Brigade and battalion S4s must monitor and report mortuary
affairs operations and ensure that sufficient supplies of human remains pouches, tags, zip
lock bags etc. are available in the units. The support battalion S4 must also ensure
that MA teams/Platoons are incorporated into battalion support plan, and all necessary
accounts have been established for the team when it is attached to the gaining unit.
11. Receiving Company
Commanders Requirements for Mortuary Affairs Support
The Company Commander of the unit to which the MA team/Platoon
will be attached, usually the HQ&A Company of an FSB/MSB or the HHC of a CSB, will be
responsible for incorporating the team/platoon into the security and sleep plans,
accounting for the team, providing all life support and maintenance as well as assuming
UCMJ authority over the team members. If the team arrives into a developed theater
the commander will ensure the team is brought into the AO and oriented to the
theater. MA Platoons/teams are not self-sustaining they are under no
circumstances to be left as stand alone units.
12. Key References are JTTP 4-06 and FM 10-64.
13. POC's for this document and for more
information on Mortuary Affairs Operations contact:
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